Cahill: Everton midfielder Tim Cahill has fully recovered from a knee injury and is clear to play in Australia's World Cup campaign, team officials said yesterday. Cahill, 26, suffered ligament damage in a collision with Birmingham City's Damien Johnson in a Premier League match on April 22 and has not played competitively since. He missed Australia's 1-0 win over Greece in a friendly on Thursday but is expected to reach full match fitness for the Socceroos' friendly against Holland in Rotterdam on June 4.

Ballack: Michael Ballack's minor ankle injury will keep him out of Germany's World Cup warm-up against Luxembourg today. The German Football Association said yesterday that Ballack had suffered nothing more serious than a strain in Thursday's practice match at the hosts' training camp in Switzerland.

Woodgate: Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate has denied reports that he was looking for a move back to England as he works to recover his fitness for next season. The 26-year-old is having treatment at former club Leeds in a bid to recover from a persistent thigh injury that has dogged his career at Real. He played only nine league games last season following his return from an 18-month lay-off because of a torn thigh muscle.

Bartlett: Former South Africa striker Shaun Bartlett is being released by Charlton Athletic, the English Premier League club said yesterday. Bartlett, South Africa's most capped player, made 139 appearances for the London club after joining from FC Zurich in 2001 following a loan spell. He scored 26 goals for Charlton.

Chile: Two key members of Chile's national soccer squad have been sent home from a European tour after women were discovered in their hotel rooms. An official said midfielder Mark Gonzalez and striker Reinaldo Navia had been ordered to fly home from Ireland after Chile beat the home team 1-0 on Wednesday.

Jancker: Former German international Carsten Jancker made his debut for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua on Thursday and failed to find the net. Jancker came on as a 60th-minute substitute in Shenhua's 3-0 victory over Liaoning at a rainy Hongkou Stadium, but he was unable to make a significant impact and looked short of match fitness.

U-21 Championships: Group B - Denmark vs Holland 1-1; Ukraine vs Italy 0-1. Tomorrow - (Group A) France vs Serbia; Germany vs Portugal.

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